


Thinking Ahead

by heatgeneratingtechniques



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Light Angst, M/M, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-15
Updated: 2016-10-15
Packaged: 2018-08-22 11:37:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8284460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heatgeneratingtechniques/pseuds/heatgeneratingtechniques
Summary: When you finally have time to think, it’s easy to get carried away.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [Ren](http://archiveofourown.org/users/loudspeakr) for beta-reading :)

It feels great to be back in North Carolina. This morning, Rhett and Jessie and the kids came over to where we’ve been staying at Christy’s parents’ house, and we spent the day at the state fair. Now, Lando and Shepherd are fast asleep on the couch, Jessie and Christy talking quietly nearby to keep from waking them. Lily, Locke, and Lincoln are sprawled out on the floor playing a lazy board game. I catch myself dozing off a few times. Rhett’s lying on the recliner beside the couch, fully awake, frowning in that focused way that means he’s thinking about something again. I reach out and touch his hand.

“Rhett.”

I can almost see him coming back to the present, awareness flickering across his face as he blinks and glances at me.

“Want to go for a walk?”

When he nods, I leave the warmth of the couch to grab my jacket.

“We’ll be back in a bit,” I tell our wives as we head out the door.

“No talking about work!” Jessie reminds us.

“And no getting up to any shenanigans,” Christy adds, grinning. I smile back at them, my face warming as she and Jessie both laugh.

It’s only as we walk down the sidewalk that I lean into Rhett’s embrace and wrap an arm around his waist.

“You good?” I ask.

“Yeah! Yeah, I’m fine.” But he sounds distracted.

The evening air is already sharp with the cold. We walk through the neighborhood, past familiar houses now quiet and lit from within. I remember walking this same route with Christy many times while we were dating, back when Rhett and I were still dancing around the idea of us being together as more than friends. When I tell Rhett, he grins, but the smile quickly fades away.

There’s a park several blocks away, that’s just as empty, the swings on the playground swaying in the breeze. He pulls me over to a bench and we sit in silence for awhile, watching leaves fluttering down around us. He’s frowning again.

“Hey.” I take his hand, thread my fingers through his. “What’s wrong?”

He chuckles, grins sheepishly. “I’m just thinkin’ about the future.”

“Well, don’t leave me here, now.” I mean for that to be a joke, but it comes out more seriously than I intended. “I get worried sometimes when you get caught up in whatever’s happening in your brain. We all do.”

The corners of his eyes crinkle up as he smiles, dropping his gaze to the leaves beneath our feet. Haltingly at first, he starts talking, speaking more quickly as he warms to the subject. I sit back and listen. He tells me he’s been thinking about what we’re going to do once the kids start going to college, once we finally decide to retire and move back home. Or maybe we should stay in LA? He doesn’t know, but it’s been on his mind since we’ve been back in North Carolina. He starts talking about taking sailboat trips around the world and opening restaurants and teaching Locke to drive and the multiplicity of possibilities ahead of us, and frankly he’s not making much sense anymore. I let him get it all out of his system, though. Lord knows he’s listened to me rant about my concerns more than enough times.

Finally, his voice falters, he trails off into silence. The wind picks up suddenly, sending a swirl of red and yellow leaves dancing on the sidewalk in front of us.

“I don’t know, Link,” he says after a moment. “There’s a lot.”

I wait, but he doesn’t elaborate. The sun is setting slowly behind the trees on the horizon, leaving a stronger chill in its wake. I nestle closer to his warmth, glad when he pulls me against him.

“You’re starting to sound like me,” I tell him finally. “Worrying is supposed to be _my_ thing, man.”

“When you take a break to think about where you are, you realize just how much you haven’t done,” he says softly.

“Understandable.” I run a hand down his chest. He shivers, pressing his face into my hair. “Hey, do you wan–”

“Don’t leave me,” he whispers in a small voice.

I pull back to look at him then, but he won’t meet my eyes. “Why would I? Hey…” I cup one cheek in my palm. “What’s wrong, Rhett?”

He shakes his head, but I think I understand now. There’s nothing _wrong,_ just an influx of new ideas jostling for purchase in his mind.

 _Rhett._ I plant a few kisses on his neck, glad when his face softens in response. _I’m not going anywhere._ He sighs as I rest my head on his shoulder, content to stay by his side while an ocean of thought bears him away.


End file.
